Mariners Chairman & CEO Howard Lincoln congratulates Ichiro

On behalf of the Seattle Mariners organization and the fans of the Northwest, I would like to congratulate Ichiro on his 3,000th hit in Major League Baseball. It is another historic achievement in his great career, as he becomes only the 30th player to reach the milestone, one of his several Hall of Fame credentials.

Ichiro's contributions to the Mariners franchise were immeasurable. Beginning with his American League MVP Award season in 2001, he provided the fans of the Northwest with many great moments and memories, highlighted in 2004 when he set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits. In addition to all the hits and all the records, in his 12 seasons as a Mariner he was a 10-time All-Star and earned 10 Gold Glove Awards.

When you consider also what he accomplished in Japan, Ichiro was and is an international baseball superstar.

Prior to Ichiro's first game for the Mariners in 2001, the late Pancho Ito, a Japanese baseball broadcaster and historian, said, "He is a genius with the bat." Mr. Ito was absolutely correct.